PowerShell DSC

The PowerShell DSC sequence I’m using to deploy my Windows machines primarily uses script elements although a multitude of other elements (such as WindowsFeature shown below) could be used. The Pull Server has PowerShell DSC installed as a feature.

With this example, I’m using Server 2016 in Azure against other Azure provisioned systems.

Windows Remote Management is a core technology for the remote management and configuration of Windows machines. WinRM is essential for automating complex Azure and AWS tasks. This guide will outline how to establish WinRM using SSH and a self-signed certificate. A certificate issued from a Certificate Authority would be preferable but for the purpose of establishing a test environment, the steps below are enough to get the technology working.

PowerShell’s Desired State Configuration allows for routines or classes to be run on remote machines by passing a text based “properties” object to the destination end-node. There are a growing number of Microsoft supplied “classes” and importantly, the framework allows for custom development of additional objects.